3 Hidden Clues Most Assessments Miss

What If the Best Screen Wasn’t the FMS—But the Brain's Own Behavior?"

Let’s talk about the FMS for just a second. 

It’s everywhere: personal training certifications, PT clinics, group fitness assessments.

It has helped thousands of health professionals across the world have a starting place to help clients. 

It gives them the starting place for movement preparation and program design. 

You put someone through an overhead squat, a hurdle step, maybe a shoulder mobility test—and based on what you see, you make decisions about what they need.

What I’ve found—and I’m sure others have too—is that those scores rarely change much. We want them to, and maybe they shift a little, but like clockwork, the pain comes back, the movement imbalances return, and most people are left scratching their heads.

We are not here to say the FMS or other assessments doest work, because they are all brilliant and help so many people.

What if we could fix these movement patterns quicker?

But what if the movement pattern isn’t the problem?
What if it’s the input system driving that pattern?

Enter: The Brain.

Why FMS (and Similar Screens) Fall Short

They assess the outcome.
They don’t assess the why.

The body moves based on how the brain perceives threat.

So if someone flares their ribs in an overhead squat, it might not be tight lats—it might be a visual imbalance, vestibular dysregulation, or proprioceptive fog.

You can fix a mobility issue all day, but if the brain still feels unsafe, it will bring that compensation right back.

And those last few words are what we all experience. Everyone. Clients, coaches, therapists and personal trainers. 

Compensations return.  Pain returns. 

The Nervous System Tells You Everything...If You Know What To Watch For

Your client’s nervous system speaks through micro-breakdowns:

Such as:

• Blinking or visual deviation during load

• Swaying or freezing during single-leg balance

• Fatigue after vision or vestibular drills

The FMS shows you what the brain is telling you based on the scoring and what you are watching in real time. 

These aren’t quirks.
They’re red flags.

Three Hidden Clues Most Assessments Miss

When the Brain’s Visual, Vestibular, or Proprioceptive Systems Go Offline

Even if your client “passes” their assessments, the brain might be showing you something deeper.

Here are three major brain systems that often go offline—and certain things to watch for in real time as they perform the FMS or other assessments. 

1. Visual System (Vision Going Offline)

What happens:
The eyes can’t stay steady or focus when the body is under stress or moving.

What to look for:

• Eyes darting around during squats or lunges

• Frequent blinking, squinting, or eyes closing mid-rep

• Clients losing track of visual targets (like mirrors, hands, or trainers)

• Complaints of dizziness, headaches, or blurry vision

What it means:
The visual system is overloaded. The brain is trying to protect itself by checking out. It can’t take in more visual input while also processing movement or threat.

2. Vestibular System (Balance System Going Offline)

What happens:
When the inner ear system that helps with balance can’t keep up, posture and stability fall apart.

What to look for:

• Losing balance after turning the head or shifting gaze

• Needing to “catch themselves” during head movement or quick direction changes

• Walking or stepping with hesitation after fast eye or body movements

• Avoiding looking around—moving stiffly to “stay upright”

What it means:
The vestibular system is confused. The brain can’t map where the head is in space, so it triggers tightness, bracing, or sudden instability.

3. Proprioceptive System (Body Awareness Going Offline)

What happens:
The client can’t feel where their body is in space. Movements feel effortful, shaky, or delayed.

What to look for:

• Overshooting or undershooting during reach or lift tests

• Needing to look down at feet or hands often

• Delayed reactions when given verbal cues or resistance

• Stiff, robotic, or “clunky” movement—especially under low load

What it means:
The body’s internal GPS isn’t sending clear signals. The brain doesn’t trust the movement, so it uses more muscle, more tension, or more effort than necessary.

Want to improve assessments?
Start looking through a brain-first lens—because the nervous system always shows you what’s really going on.

If you want to learn a more in depth approach to how we assess and reassess our clients, click this link for 2 Free Masterclasses on this very subject. 

Case Study: When “Strong” Isn’t Safe — The Story of Marcus

Marcus looked like a beast.

He was the client every trainer loves to have on paper—strong, mobile, athletic, and moving “well” by all the traditional standards.

Squats? Deep.

In-Line Lunge? Clean.

Step-Over? Clean

Shoulder mobility? So, So, but passing.

But he had one problem he couldn’t shake: nagging shoulder pain.

He’d foam rolled. He’d stretched. He’d done banded shoulder work, sleeper stretches, scap drills—the usual stuff.

Still, the pain came back.

That’s when we he came to us and we stopped looking at the shoulder… and started looking at the brain.

Assessment: Visual System

We ran one of our applied neurology assessments to see where he tested in the moment. After the assessment we had him do a visual drill called smooth pursuits—a drill where the client tracks a slow-moving object (like a pen or thumb) with their eyes.

Marcus couldn’t hold steady.

His left eye collapsed inward—visibly drifting off track.

**That’s a sign his visual system was overtaxed, and his brain wasn’t integrating visual input properly under even mild load.

We reassessed his shoulder pain immediately after the drill—and it was worse.

That told us: the visual system wasn’t a safe place to work and in fact made it worse. 

So we didn’t force it. We followed the data.

We didn't stretch more, foam roll more, pec stretch, lat stretch or any other modality. We trusted the brain and nervous system to tell us what would work. 

Assessment: Vestibular System

Next, we assessed his vestibular system—the part of the brain that handles balance and head movement.

We used simple vestibular drills like head nods, gaze stabilization, and gentle head rotations.

After just a few reps, Marcus stood up straighter, moved his arm more freely—and most importantly…

His shoulder pain was gone.

The reassessment confirmed it. Not just subjective improvement—objective gain in range, tension, and ease of motion.

No massage.
No banded work.
No stretching.
Just a brain-first reset.

The Lesson:

Marcus didn’t need to “fix” his shoulder.
He needed to show his brain that it was safe to use his shoulder again.

And when we fed the right system, at the right time, the body followed.

Because movement isn’t about muscles.
It’s about the signals the brain trusts.

That’s applied neurology in action.
And it’s how you turn “strong but stuck” into “pain-free and powerful.”

If you would like to learn more about our educational mentorship, click here.